Migration of Insects, Moths & Vermin
Trouble is still frequently experienced with infestation of various cargoes by various types of insects. Beetles and moths continue to play chaos, especially with cereals carried by sea and also, of course, on land.
According to publications of Agriculture, the most predominant infestations found were Cadelle (tenebroides mauritanicus), the Red Flour Beetle (tribolium castaneum) and the Rice Weevil (sitophilus oryza). These, of course, infest a wide range of commodities.
Recently, however, trouble has been experienced with the Khapra beetle (trogoderma granarium everts). This is a native of India, Ceylon and Malaya, and has spread from there to Japan, the Philippines, Australia, Europe and Africa. Recently there has been a number of cases where it has been detected in the U.S.A., and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are doing all they can to prevent its introduction and spread in that country. It is a small black beetle with the capacity for an enormous rate of reproduction. It has a habit of congregating in cracks and crevices of bricks, masonry and wooden structures. The name comes from the Indian dialect word Khapra, meaning brick.
In one particular case it is stated that a cargo of maize and wheat, carried from Albany, New York to Manchester was found to be extremely infected with the beetle in the neighborhood of the wood sheathing on the boiler room bulkhead in hold. Infestation was found also in residues of previous grain cargoes, but it was thought that the infestation originally arose from a cargo of West African, and that the population of insects survived one fumigation of hydrogen cyanide and another with methyl bromide a year later. The warmth of the voyage plus the activities of the insects raised the temperature of the infected maize from 42°C to 45°C.
The beetle is only about 1/8th in length. Adults do not normally feed, but the worms normally feed on grain and cereal products, although they can develop on other materials. The grubs also are capable of living several years without food. It can be realized from this that once a ship is infested, it is not easy to fumigate, fumigation with methyl bromide could be effective. In recent years, Inspectors intercepted the Khapra Beetle forty-three times at sixteen different ports of entry and in each case the site was placed under quarantine until suitable abolition measures were carried out. In the case of one vessel the insects were detected on a consignment of steel and the ship, her cargo and the surrounding dock all had to be disinfected at a high cost.
In another case Khapra Beetles were detected in a ship carrying fishmeal. They were associated, however, not with the fishmeal but with a small quantity of sesame seed which the crew had on board to feed the ship’s parrot. They multiplied very rapidly. The authorities insisted that the ship’s holds should be fumigated, notwithstanding the protests of the Master to the effect that his fishmeal cargo was heating and a restriction of ventilation might cause a fire. The holds were in fact sealed and there was a fire.
It is stated that on one occasion a large warehouse had to be dealt with and the only satisfactory method was to enclose the whole building with 91Λ acres of tarpaulins and to use 12 tons of gas. In such circumstances circulatory fans are required to make sure the gas penetrates the entire building; and the normal period of saturation is 24 hours.
These facts are recorded in order to indicate to shipowners the importance of the problem. The only real defence against it is scrupulous sanitation of holds and cargo spaces, and of course thorough fumigation if any infestation is discovered. The ordinary fumigation of a vessel by gas or other means for the eradication of rats will rarely have any effect on insect infestation. Certainly the fact that a ship has a valid fumigation certificate as regards rats is no defence to a claim for damage to cargo by insect infestation which existed when the cargo was loaded.
On the other hand there seems no reason why the shipowner should have any liability, if cargo is damaged by insects which come on board when the cargo was loaded or which, though on board, could not have been detected by the shipowners at the time of loading, since the damage is due either to inherent vice of the goods or to damage occurring without any negligence on the part of the carrier.
If, therefore, insects are discovered on board and a cargo claim is feared, it is very important that samples of the insects should be preserved, and sent to Mutual Club, either through the Club’s correspondents on the spot or direct, for an expert report. If, for example, live insects, dead insects and maggots are all present, samples of all three should be kept, and of course, indemnificatory labels attached to the packages. Such evidence is very important in dealing with the claims and also for assisting shipowners generally to guard against such trouble in the future.
Note: Any cargo infested by Khapra Beetle is likely to be completely unacceptable in most countries.
